Blind-fastener.



PATENTED MAR. 7, 1905.

T. A. UPSON.

BLIND FASTENER. APPLICATION FILmi JULY 29,1903.

w INVENTOR: $1,, :41

WITNESSES: @m By Azzomeys,

No. 784.085. PATENTED MAR. '7, 1905. T. A. UPSON.

BLIND FASTENER.

' APPLIOATION FILED JULY 29,1903.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

FIG. 7",

FIG. 8.

v INVENTOR: ITNESSES; @5 W By Altameys,

No. 784,085. PATENTED MAR. v, 1905.

T. A. UPSON. I

BLIND FASTENER.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 29,1003.

3 SHEETS-SEEBT 3.

INVENTOR:

WITIIQESSES: i g

By Attorneys;

Patented March 7, 1905.

risen.

THERON A. UPSON, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

BLlND -l- MSTENIEW.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N0. 784,085, dated March 7', 1905.

Application filed July 29, 1903. -Serial1 T0. 167,496.

To all whom, it HT/(by concern:

Be 'it known that I, THnRoN A. UrsoN, a citizen of the United States, residing in the borough of Brooklyn, county of Kings, city and State of New York, have invented certain new.and useful Improvements in Blind-Fasteners, of which the following is a speciiication.

My invention aims to provide an improved :fastener the special value of which is its simplicity of application, so that it can be brought into use by persons absolutely unskilled in mechanical work. Various other points of ad vantage are referred tohereinafter.

My improved fastener by a simple wedging movement is forced into position to hold the blind open. Preferably it is unattached, being held in place when the blind is open by a frictional engagement against the blind and against a fixed abutment connected with the house and being entirely withdrawn when the blind is to be closed. My improved fastener may also be of a form adapted to hold the blinds bowed, as hereinafter explained.

The accompanying drawings illustrate fasteners embodying the invention.

Figure l is a horizontal section of the lower part of an open blind and the adjacent part of the house and wimlow-frame, showing a very simpledevice embodying theinveinaion. Fig. 2 is a similar view showing a form of the'device adapted for adjustment for different windows. Fig. 3 is a horizontal section through the lower portion of the free ends of two blinds held in a bowed position by a part of the blind-fastener of Fig. 2. Fig. 4.- is a view similar to Fig. 2, showing certain additional elements which may be used in connection with the device. Figs. 5, 6, 7, and 8 are perspective views of the several members of the devices illustrated in Figs. 2 and 4. Fig. 9 is a perspective view of a modification of the clip shown in Fig. 8. Figs. 10, 11, 12, and 13 illustrate other embodiments of theinvention.

Referring to the drawings, the fastener as a whole includes a blind member-such, for example, as the fork, which I designate as a whole by the letter A adapted to engage both the inner and outer faces of the blind near the hinged edge thereof, and an abutment momber B, adapted to be brought into frictional j engagement at its inner end with a fixed abnt ment, such as the horizontal ledge (l of the window-frame, and by such frictional engagement to press outward an inner portion of the fork---such, for example, as the inward extension 1) --and to thereby hold the blind open. To release the fastener, the abutment member l5 may be pulled upward or inward until it ceases to press with any force against the window-frame, whereupon the pressure on the fork is also released, and the fastener can be easily drawn away from the blind. Iln the application of the fastener it is only necessary to insert the fork around the edge of the blind and then force the abutment member 8 frictionally agaii'ist the window-frame. The outward prong E of the fork and the inner prong F then forcibly frictionally engage the blind, so that the blind is held open and the fastener is held in place. The prongs E and F are prefcrab] y bent s] ightly toward each other at their ends, as shown, so that they engage the blind near' their ends and avoid injury to the corners of the blind. The abutment member may be arranged to bear againstany fixed point. Preferably it is adapted to bear against a part of the sill of the window, and therefore the de vice will be fastened near the lower edge of the blind below the lower hinge, which is shown in dotted lines at (i.

There is found in practice a wide variation in the arrangement of blinds, so that some when opened have their inner edges much farther out from the wall of the house than others. There is also some variation in the lateral position of the blinds relatively to the window-opening. To adapt the device for use on various windows, I propose to make it adjustable, the adjustment being preferably at a point between its ends. For example, as shown in Fig. 2, the extension I) of the fork is provided with a screw H and the abutment member B is provided with a number of apertures, through any one of which the screw H maybe passed, and a nut H. attached to fasten the member to the fork with any desired length of bar between the point of at tachment to the fork and the end for engagmg the window-frame.

This construction also facilitates the pressing of the inner end of the bar B frictionally against the windowframe, the bar turning about the screw H as a pivot in its operation. This construction has also the ad vantage that the bar B, either without detaching it from the fork A or after detaching it therefrom, may be used as a link of variable length adapted to engage hooks J, fastened on the inside of the blinds at a suitable distance from their free edges, and thus hold the blinds bowed.

It is equally within my invention to provide a fastener which may be first placed with its abutment end in position and then wedged or pressed against the blind in a manner to hold the blind open and to hold the device in position. For example, in the form shown in Fig. at the bar B may be first placed in position and the wide fork A be brought into engagement with the edge of the blind. The screw K may then be forced in against the blind until bearing against it with sufficient pressure to hold the 'fork on the blind and to press the bar B in against the window-frame. In setting this device it is more convenient to have the bar B connected at a substantially invariable angle with the fork. This may be done while using the same method of connection as in Fig. 2 by the addition of a clip L, which drops over the bar and which engages the extension D of the fork, so as to hold the bar B at a fixed angle, the clip being held down by the nut H.

Fig. 5 shows a convenient form for the fork A, the outer prong E and the extension D being formed from a flat bar to which is riveted a lug M, carrying a screw H, as shown. The inner prong F may be made of a bent rod, as shown, riveted to the bar composing the parts E and D. The nut H preferably has a large milled head, as shown in Fig. 6, to facilitate its operation by hand. The bar B may be a strip of flat metal punched with holes close together, as shown in Fig. 7. The clip L, Fig. 8, is made from a flat bar bent into an inverted-U shape, as shown, and apertured at the top and provided at one side with a slot M, open at the lower end to engage the extension D of the fork. A clip L (shown in Fig. 9) may be used, having two slots M for engaging the extension D and permitting a variation of the position of the bar B to either one of two angles.

Instead of converting the device of Fig. 2, with its pivoted bar, into the form shown in Fig. 4 I may provide the device illustrated in Figs. 10 and 11, in which a wide fork A, preferably cast in one piece with an extension D is provided with a screw K, and a bar 13 (shown in under side view in Fig. 11) is provided with teeth N, adapted to engage corresponding teeth 0 on the fork and to be fastened down by a screw passing through the slot in the bar and into a screw-threaded hole in the extension I) of the fork. This conl i l struction permits of any necessary lengthwise adjustment of the bar B but not of any variation of angle. A similar device may be made of a plain piece of bar metal bent to form a fork A Fig. 12, reinforced by a pin P. With this form of fork I may use a notched bar B passing through holes Q, in the fork and held against movement by means of a screw R, as clearly illustrated, or the fork A Fig. 13, may be used, formed of a piece of bar metal constituting the outer prong, and a rod bent downward at its end, as shown, constituting the inner prong. W ith this form of fork a screw-threaded bar 13* may be used which screws through a hole in the extension D shown. The forms shown in Figs. 12 and 13 likewise permit of no angular adjustment, but of any desired longitudinal adjustment of the bar. It is most convenient to provide an extension of the fork for engaging with the bar; but such an extension is not essential, as is indicated by Fig. 12. The operation of the devices shown in Figs. 10 to 13 is substantially identical to that shown in Fig. 4. Obviously the bar in each case might also be engaged with a part of the fixed structure-as, for ex-' ample, by passing a hole of the bar B over a pin on the windowsilland the adjustment for different windows-or conditions might be effected at such point of engagement.

Though I have described with great particularity of detail certain embodiments of my invention, yet it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the particular embodiments disclosed. Various modifications of the same in detail and in the arrangement and combination of the parts may be made by those skilled in the art without departure from my invention.

\Vhat I claim is- 1. A blind-fastener having its opposite ends shaped and positioned to frictionally engage the blind and a fixed abutment respectively whereby the blind is held open and the fastener is held in place, said fastener being composed of parts adjustably connected together to adapt the device for different blinds.

2. A blind-fastener including a fork adapted to embrace an edge of a blind so as to engage both faces thereof,and means for pressing outward an inner portion of said fork to hold the blind open, said pressing means and fork being adjustably connected to adapt the fastener for different blinds.

3. A blind-fastener including in combina tion a fork adapted to embrace an edge of a blind so as to engage both the outer face and the inner face thereof, and an abutment member shaped and positioned to be brought into frictional engagement with a fixed abutment and to thereby forcibly press said blind open.

4. A blind-fastener including in combination a fork adapted to embrace an edge of a blind so as to engage both the outer face and the inner face thereof, and means for presstsaoes ing outward an inner portion of said fork to hold the blind open.

5. A blind-fastener including in combination a blind member for engaging both the outer face and the inner face of the blind, and an abutment member pivoted to said blind member and shaped and positioned to be brought into frictional engagement with a fixed abutment and to thereby forcibly press said blind open.

6. A blind-fastener including in combination a fork adapted to embrace an edge of a blind so as to engage both faces thereof, and an abutment member adapted to be brought into frictional engagement with a fixed abutment to hold said blind open, said fork and abutment member being adjustably connected together to adapt the device for different blinds. V

7. A blind member including in combination a fork having an outer end adapted to engage the hinged end of a blind, and a bar adjust-ably in engagement with an inner portion of said fork adapted to frictionally engage a fixed abutment and to thereby hold outward the inner portion of said fork to hold the blind open.

8. A blind-fastener including in combination a fork adapted to engage the hinged end of a blind, a bar adapted for frictional engagement with a fixed abutment and engaged with an inner portion of said fork, and means conof a blind, a bar adapted to frictionally engage a fixed abutment and to press outward an inner portion of said fork to hold the blind open, and means for holding said bar at a fixed angle with said fork.

10. A blind-fastener including in combination a fork adapted to embrace an edge of a blind so as to engage both the outer face and the inner face thereof, and a bar connected thereto and adapted to engage a part of the fixed structure and to thereby hold the blind open.

11. A blind-fastener including in combination a blind member engaging the blind, and a bar B adjustably connected thereto to adapt the device for different blinds, said bar frictionally engaging a part of the fixed structure and thereby holding the blind open and the fastener in place.

In witness whereof I have hereunto signed my name in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

THERON A. UPSON.

\Vitnesses:

DOMINGO A. USINA, THEODORE 'l. SNELL. 

